Fumigator



. May 30, 1933- T.- A. AND-ERSEN 1,911,871

FUMIGATOR Filed Dec. 19, 1931 jn/ enfor.

JZeWQZ/efl fads/156m Patented May 30', 1933 zrrmononn ANDERSEN, or ro'n'r wAYnE, INDIANA FUMIGATOR Application filed December 19, 1931. Serial No. 582,071.

This invention is concerned with means for disseminating into the air vapors of various natures, such as perfumes, deodorizers or fumigating compounds, and its object is to/ provide a relatively simple mechanism requiring the minimum of attention, and also adapted to employ the vaporous re-agent an economical manner. It consists in certain features and elements of construction as shown and described, and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section, showing one form of mechanism embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated at line 22 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention.

Figure 4 is an elevation partly in section showing a second modification.

The structure shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises an electric fan havinga motor, 1, and the usual type of rotary fan blade, 2, supported in a housing, 3, which is formed to control and direct the air blast produced by the fan. Said housing is shown a s including a constricted neck at 4, withihts'omewhat flaring mouth, 5, which may be fitted with a wire grille of any suitable design, at 6, if desired. The motor, 1, is carried on supporting arms, 7,'at the opposite end of the housing, 3, leaving ample space for the ingress of air which is driven by the fan blade, 2, toward the mouth orvoutlet at 5. interposed in the housing between said fan and the outlet is a perforated or reticulated shell, 8, which may be supported upon a pair of uprights, 9, and an axially disposed bolt, 10, extending forwardly and anchored in the grille, 6, by a nut, 11. The shell, 8,

is provided with a detachable cover or head,

12, shownas screwed into a flange of the shell, 8, and within the'shell is contained a uantity of absorbent fibrous material, such as wicking, indicated at-13. Leading from the mass of wicking within the shell, the

drawing shows a twisted wick, 14, enclosed in a metallic tube, 15, which leads preferably from the upper portion of the shell, 8, and

thence downwardly into an annular flange,

16, projecting from the under side ofzthe housing, 3. Said fiangeis threaded at 16 to receive the threaded .neck of a bottle or container, .17, which carries in liquid form the re-agent to be vaporized and disseminated by the action of the fan blade, 2. v The wick, 14, extends from the end of the tubing 15, down into the container so as to be saturated with such liquid to carry it by capillary action up into the mass of absorbent material at 13 in the shell, 8. Preferably, between the shell, 8, and the rotary blade, 2, there is mounted a battle,

18, which tends to deflect the air current toward the wall of the housing, 3, at its constricted portion,4, from which the air is reflected back against the perforated wall of the shell, 8. The flowof air against and past the shell, 8, tends to evaporate the liq- 7n uid held in the absorbent material at 13, and the vapor is thus entrained in the air currents and carried outwardly into the room. At the same time, the relatively small quantity of the re-agent which isthus exposed to the action of the air currents avoids, loading ,the air excessively with the perfume, or fumigating chemical, and ensures comparatively economical use of the same. When the supply 1n the container, 17 1s exhausted, it is a simple matter to unscrew the container and refill it, this being the only attention which the device requires to keep it in operating condition. Occasionally, the wicking at 13 and 14 may require renewal, and this, also, is a relatively simple matter, since upon removal of the nut, 11, the grille, 6, maybe snapped out of its position in the mouth of the housing, 3,'and

upon removal of the inner nut, 19, the shell,

8, may be unscrewed from its head member, 12.

The tube, 14, may be permanently fixed by soldering, orotherwise, to the shell, 8,

, or to the annular flange, 1.6, but need not be permanently secured at both points; hence, it does not embarrass removal of the shell, 8, for refilling it with absorbent wicking, and leading a portion of the wicking out through the tube, 1.5, to extend into the con- Tv p cumulating in the shell.

tainer, 17 Since the liquid in the saturated materlal at 13 may tend to settle, and might drain from the perforations of the shell, 8, when the fan, 2, is not running, I-provide a drain tube, 20, leading from the lowest portion'of the shell, 8, to carry back to the container, 17, any excess of liquid thus, ac-

A somewhat simplified form of the device is shown in Figure 3, and consists in a standard type of electric fan having a motor, 21,

with a rotaryblade, 22, and the usual wire guard, 23, for the blade. The reticulated shell, 8, is secured directly to this guard in any convenient manner, as by means of a clamping nut, 24', on the axial bolt, 25, which passes through the shell-and through a central portion of the guard, 23. A cap nut, 23,

' on the outer end of the bolt, may serve to lated container ma hold the shell, 8, to its head portion, 12, or the two parts 1 may be screwed together exactly as shown in Figure 1. It will be understood that within the shell, 8, there 1s contained a quantity of absorbent wicking like that shown at 13 in Figure 1, and that the entire supply of liquid material for this form of the invention is carried by this wicking, being replenished from time to time by opening the shell, 8', and pouring the liquid onto the wicking in relatively small quantities. If preferred, thereticube attached to the wire guard grille, 23, o the fan merely by radially extending-hooks, not shown, instead of 33 by'the more permanent clamping nut, 24.

, tially continuous with, the wick, 34, so that? Figure 4 illustrates a container, 30, of the-general style frequently carried in closed automobiles as a flower vase. It is supported in a bracket, 31, shown secured-to the side wall, 32, of the vehicle, and is provided with a cover, 33, 'through which there emerges a wick, 34, arranged to resemble the stem of an artificial flower indicated 1 at 35. The material of which the flower is composed, or, at' least, the central portion of 1t, at 36, may beunderstood to be of an absorbent nature similar to, and substanthe liquid at 37 in thecontainer, 30, will be drawn by capillary action upwardly through the wick, 34, into the absorbent material at 36, and will thus be exposed to the air currents indicated by arrows, 38, which are practically always introduced wlthm the vehicle when it is in motion.

For this particular use the liquid, 37', will ordinarily be in the nature of a perfume, but with the other forms of the device it will be understood that various deodorizers or medicatcd 'fumigating 1'e-agents may be used.

While I have shown and described herein certain specific structures embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art'that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and the a liquid into which. said wick extends, the housing being constricted adjacent said.

chamber to direct the flow of air in contact with the reticulated wall for evaporating liquid fromthe absorbent material.

2. In combination, a housing with a fan mounted therein, anddriving means for the fan, .said housing having .an inlet and an outlet for the air blast induced. by the fan, a chamber mounted in the housing between the fan and the outlet, and having a reticulated wall, a quantity of absorbe tmaterial in the chamber with a wick lea ing therefrom, a receptacle for liquid into'which said wick extends, and a baflie disposed between the fan and said chamber for deflecting the air blast against the walls of the housing at such a point as to cause reflection of the blast against the reticulated wall of thechamber for evaporating the" liquid from the absorbent material and entraining the vapor thus formed.

.3. In combination, a fan and a motortherefor. with a housing extending in the direction of the air blast induced by the fan for confining said blast, a chamber mounted in the housing in the path of the air blast,

and having a reticulated wall, aquantity of absorbent material in said chamber'with a wick leading therefrom,,an enclosing tube for the wick leading outside the housing, a receptacle for liquid outside the housing into which thewick extends, and means on the housing for detachably supporting said receptacle in communication with saidtube,

together with a drain tube leading fro the lower portion of said chamber throng "ithe .housing wall for discharge into said receptacle. p A

4. In combination, a fan and a motor therefor with a housing extendin in the direction of the air blast induced y the fan for confining said blast, a chamber mounted in the housing in the path of the air blast,

and having a. reticulated wall,'.a quantit of absorbent material in said chamber wit a wick leading therefrom, an enclosing tube forthe wick leading outside the housing, a

receptacle for liquid outside the housing into which the wick extends, and means on the housing for detachably supporting said receptacle in communication with said tube," said housing 'wall having a constrictedportion adjacent the chamber, and a baflle inteiposed between the fan and the chamber for deflecting the air blast against said restricted portion of the wall to direct it against the reticulated wall 'of the housin THEODORE A. ANDE SEN. 

